CHAPTER 474: CHAPTER 420 THE REAL QILIN

Lu Yuan turned around and saw Lu Zhaoyan’s complex expression. Smiling nonchalantly, he patted his chest and assured Lu Zhaoyan, "Relax a hundred times over. Isn’t it just about inviting someone out of retirement? Leave it to me."

At this moment, Lu Zhaoyan wasn’t thinking about the matter of inviting someone out of retirement.

He knew this brat was doing it on purpose.

Deliberately putting on a pitiful act before him.

But even knowing it was an act, he still cared.

After all, he is her flesh and blood...

Lu Yuan raised an eyebrow and said, "I say, my newly recognized father, if you keep dawdling, we’ll miss the timing. I don’t mind, but if we really enter the mountains to search, I fear your delicate constitution won’t hold up."

Lu Zhaoyan shot him a glare.

Lu Zhaoyan wasn’t weak, but if a normal person had been shaken all the way here, vomiting and retching, they wouldn’t be faring any better than he was.

Seeing Lu Zhaoyan remain silent, Lu Yuan sighed, "Fine, fine, fine. Who told you to be my father? Slow it down, take your time. Worst case, I’ll carry you later."

Lu Zhaoyan trembled and instinctively quickened his pace.

The two arrived at a ridge overlooking the farmland. To the south lay a stretch of paddies, about twenty acres, most of which were already planted with seedlings.

In the fields, farmers, both men and women of various ages, were barefoot, planting seedlings while wading through the muddy water.

At a glance, it was genuinely difficult to discern which one of them was the "expert" they sought.

Thankfully, Lu Zhaoyan had brought a portrait of the individual.

He took out the painting, compared it against the farmers planting seedlings, and finally noticed a figure matching the description in the westernmost rice paddy.

Though wearing a conical hat that concealed his face, the gourd hanging at his waist was unmistakable.

"That elderly man with the wine gourd tied at his waist?"

Obviously, Lu Yuan had recognized him too.

Lu Zhaoyan said, "Be respectful. That is Mr. Zimu."

Lu Yuan obediently replied, "Alright, you’re the father, you have the final say."

He eyed the old man planting seedlings in the field, "Father, why don’t you rest here on the ridge while I go greet Mr. Zimu?"

With that, he walked away, leaving Lu Zhaoyan unable to stop him.

Indeed, Lu Zhaoyan hadn’t quite recovered from Lu Yuan’s overdone "filial piety" yet. Better to rest here a bit—he didn’t want to risk throwing up in front of Mr. Zimu.

His gaze lingered on Lu Yuan.

For a moment, he couldn’t quite tell if he was more interested in watching Lu Yuan, or observing Mr. Zimu.

Lu Yuan strolled along the ridge near Mr. Zimu, and just as he thought Lu Yuan would bow deeply and greet the elder with utmost courtesy, something unexpected occurred.

Without saying a word, Lu Yuan removed his shoes and socks, tied up his robe hem at the waist, rolled his pants high, then deftly stepped into the muddy field as if he had done this countless times.

He grabbed some seedlings from the edge and began planting.

At first, the old man paid him no mind.

For every seedling the elder planted, Lu Yuan planted one.

Soon, for every seedling the elder planted, Lu Yuan planted two.

By the time the elder had planted only halfway across, Lu Yuan had already finished planting the last row.

And then it got even better.

Earlier, Lu Yuan had planted forward-facing seedlings; now he switched to planting them backward.

And planted them with such precision and order that it was visually striking.

Finally, the elder couldn’t hold back any longer. He straightened his back, frowned, and glared at this young man who had suddenly appeared out of nowhere, competing with him to plant seedlings.

Lu Yuan’s attire was luxurious, clearly indicating wealth and status. Yet his skill at planting seedlings surpassed even the elder’s.

"Did Emperor Liang send you?"

The elder asked.

Lu Yuan smiled, "I don’t know any Emperor Liang. I came here with my father. He’s exhausted, so I let him rest over there."

As he spoke, he gestured toward the distant Lu Zhaoyan.

Lu Zhaoyan stood up and bowed respectfully to the elder, as a junior greeting a senior.

The elder withdrew his gaze and resumed planting seedlings: "I don’t know where you heard these rumors. I’m just an ordinary man. Beyond farming for my livelihood, I possess no exceptional talents. You’ve come to the wrong person."

Lu Yuan grabbed another handful of seedlings, this time planting them not in haste but with meticulous care, taking his time beside the elder.

He laughed softly, "Oh, come now. Who isn’t an ordinary man? Even farming is no trivial matter—when to pull seedlings, when to plant them, when to harvest the rice... All of it is a profound knowledge, the kind that can’t be learned in books but truly benefits the nation and saves lives."

The elder retorted, "Spare me your silver tongue. I’m not like my foolish disciple, who could be talked out of his wits with a few fancy words."

Lu Yuan refrained from mentioning the little shepherd who had guided him, but as clever as the elder was, how could he not guess?

Lu Yuan didn’t deny it; instead, he asked, "Before my father and I arrived, was there anyone else who tried to persuade your disciple?"

The elder paused briefly: "Your grandfather."

Lu Yuan: "..."

That wasn’t my real grandfather, at most just some rogue grandpa.

Emperor Liang sure knows how to play people, doesn’t he? At his age, convincing a young shepherd boy—doesn’t his conscience ache?

This Mr. Zimu was even sharper; he hadn’t even revealed his identity yet but already deduced that his rogue grandfather was the Crown Prince himself.

Lu Yuan’s gaze lingered on the elder’s wine gourd: "So, you like drinking? What a coincidence—I’ve got two jars of fine spirits back at my place."

"I don’t drink."

The elder refused.

Lu Yuan wasn’t discouraged and continued planting seedlings, "You see, my grandfather has been here, my father and I came here too. They truly admire your character and talent, and hope to invite you to serve the people—not as an officer for Great Liang, but for the common folk."

The elder said, "I’ve told you already, I have no such capabilities."

Lu Yuan replied, "There are plenty of incapable officials; one more won’t make a difference."

The elder coldly stared at him.

Lu Yuan remained unfazed: "What I mean is, you should never underestimate your own abilities."

The elder: "..."

Lu Yuan remarked, "Your seedlings are crooked. At your age, how can you not even plant properly? And, not to brag, but the silkworms I raised at seven were better than those your disciple manages. As his teacher, how do you explain that? I even heard you’re from Witch Mountain—is that where they teach people to raise silkworms so poorly?"

Lu Zhaoyan, standing at just the right distance to see their interaction but too far to hear their conversation, could discern that something about Mr. Zimu’s demeanor was off. He was trembling all over, his gaze cold and sharp, as though barely suppressing some emotion.

But Lu Yuan was clearly quite polite, still planting seedlings earnestly, even taking over the seedlings in Mr. Zimu’s hands to plant for him.

"Alright, alright, let me do it. Old as you are, you’re hopeless at this. The seedlings you’ve planted? I can’t even bear to look at them."

Lu Yuan muttered to himself as he grabbed the seedlings and finished planting them.

Admittedly, the seedlings Lu Yuan planted were indeed the neatest and most beautiful in all the fields.

Mr. Zimu had spent ten years in seclusion to master planting seedlings, only to lose out to a cocky young man. Frustrating, wasn’t it?

"Master! Master, something terrible has happened!"

A woman in her fifties hurriedly ran over the ridge in small, anxious steps, shouting, "Da Niu’s cow can’t give birth! It’s in terrible shape!"

The elder’s secluded retreat was mistaken by the townsfolk for a temple, with him living as a lay monk. Hence, they respectfully called him "Master."

Whenever anyone had aches, illnesses, or livestock troubles, they’d come to the "temple" looking for him.

"Ah—!"

In her haste, the woman tripped. Luckily, she was near Lu Zhaoyan, who quickly caught her.

"Be careful."

Lu Zhaoyan gently reminded her.

"Ah, thank you..."

When the woman saw Lu Zhaoyan’s face—so impossibly handsome it seemed unreal—she was briefly stunned.

Lu Zhaoyan composedly asked, "Madam, tell me slowly, where is Da Niu? When did the cow start laboring?"

"Ah..." The woman snapped out of her daze, awkwardly laughed, and pointed behind her, "Our village—Da Niu just climbed the mountain and collapsed there. It’s been in labor for a day now."

Lu Zhaoyan asked, "Madam, are you referring to the village at the foot of the mountain?"

The woman hurriedly affirmed, "Yes! Oh, was that carriage passing through the village gate yours this morning?"

Lu Zhaoyan nodded.

Now this was troubling.

Though descending was easier than climbing, the mountain path was long. By the time they reached the village, it would already be dark—and who knew if they’d get there in time?

Lu Zhaoyan calculated the estimated time.

Ji Feng should’ve almost reached the mountain summit by now.

He decided it would be best to have Ji Feng carry Mr. Zimu down. Hopefully, they’d make it in time.

Lu Zhaoyan glanced at Lu Yuan, signaling him to gather the elder’s belongings and head to the cottage to meet Ji Feng.

Lu Yuan shot Lu Zhaoyan a knowing look and casually lifted the elder onto his back.

Lu Zhaoyan suddenly had a terrible sinking feeling.

And indeed, Lu Yuan supported the elder’s legs with both hands, activated Qinggong, and vanished into thin air—

Lu Zhaoyan felt a gust of wind blow past, froze for a moment before snapping out of it, his expression changing, "That’s not the way down the mountain!"

"Shortcut—!"

Lu Yuan leaped! A vertical descent!

"Urgh—"

"Blergh—"

"Ugh—"

One quarter-hour to descend the mountain; one hour of vomiting.

Da Niu’s cow gave birth.

And the elder wasn’t the one delivering it.

Instead, the cow was startled by two babbling maniacs into spitting out the calf—in a single spasm.

"Feeling better?"

Lu Yuan thoughtfully handed the elder a bowl of water.

The elder took a sip. It was sweet.

He asked in bewilderment, "Why is there sugar water?"

Lu Yuan replied, "Oh, leftover from the cow’s drink."

The elder: "..."

No one knows how much effort it took for him to resist the urge to dunk the brat’s head into the bowl.

Don’t kill. Don’t kill.

-

Meanwhile, Lu Qi finally managed to follow Ji Feng up the mountain, only to be informed that Mr. Zimu had gone down—and that they had to descend too.

Lu Qi froze with an indignant shudder. His legs were about to give out from exhaustion, and now he was told to go back down?! Down the mountain?!

When the three of them arrived at the village at the foot of the mountain, it was completely dark.

Lu Qi was carried inside by Ji Feng, placed onto a small wooden stool in Da Niu’s house.

"Sir."

Lu Zhaoyan went to the backyard, where the elder stood silently under the night sky. He bowed respectfully.

Hands clasped behind him, the elder gazed unwaveringly at the stars gradually emerging, forming a vast, majestic river of light in the infinite firmament.

Lu Yuan reclined nearby, leisurely playing with a stalk of foxtail grass.

The elder sighed, "The Gouchen Star shines bright as the dawn. I didn’t expect... Great Liang truly has a Guardian Qilin. Since Your Highness has brought the Qilin, I, as an old man, shall answer the call."

Lu Zhaoyan’s expression tensed.

The elder turned to face him, placed his hands together, and bowed deeply: "Zimu is willing to serve Your Highness."